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msdwrites.bsky.social
MsDWrites
@msdwrites.bsky.social
920 followers 580 following 1.1K posts
Editor, writer, ceramicist, keen on facts and changing models when required. She/her, Brit in Oz, sweary, loves animals, lesbian mums, bugger all bigot tolerance.
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msdwrites.bsky.social
Bird count achievement unlocked: two tawny frogmouths!
Baby tawny frogmouth in crook of tree Adult tawny frogmouth on branch
October 26, 2025 at 5:41 AM
msdwrites.bsky.social
Latest little bits from the kiln, a mix of screen printing, stamping and hand painted Greek figures on terracotta and porcelain
A set of 13 ceramic pins and pendants, in the top left three round porcelain pieces, all screen printed, one with a blue ladybug, one a black pattern on blue background and one a moth. In front, the rest are rectangular and terracotta. There are two stamped Marrickville, two screen printed ants, one black one blue, and then a series of figures reflecting Ancient Greek vases, with a swan, a head of Athena, a goose and three different owls of Athena.
July 26, 2025 at 1:58 AM
msdwrites.bsky.social
Why haven’t you finished cleaning the kick wheel, D?’
‘Oh, things just got in the way…’
Things:
Beautiful tortoiseshell cat sitting on the wheel head of a pottery kick wheel, staring winsomely into the distance
July 3, 2025 at 6:03 AM
msdwrites.bsky.social
I’ve nothing useful to offer, alas, but here’s a mediocre photo of a very chonky kookaburra I saw recently
Photo of a plump young kookaburra sitting in a bottlebrush tree, a red brick wall behind both
June 30, 2025 at 12:16 AM
msdwrites.bsky.social
Snap! It’s a gem of a text.
Photograph of the cover of Brian R Price’s Techniques of Medieval Armour Reproduction, the same book as posted by OP.
June 27, 2025 at 4:00 AM
msdwrites.bsky.social
I often underrate Emma, simply because I love Persuasion and P&P so much, but it really is full of Jane’s sickest burns.
Screenshot of a kindle version of Jane Austen’s Emma, with the paragraph ’Mr Knightley seemed to be trying not to smile; and succeeded without difficulty, upon Mrs Elton’s beginning to talk to him.’
May 16, 2025 at 5:51 PM
msdwrites.bsky.social
The American in this argument is so wrong on wrong that it’s not worth linking to the skeet they’ve closed replies on, but @dimsie.bsky.social’s response is utter Kiwi perfection
Screenshot of two skeets. The first from a self-righteous American saying: I have to be honest with you, threatening people and telling them to fuck off is not a New Zealand value. The second is from Dimsie, saying: No one threatened you, but telling people to fuck off is SUCH a NZ value, you have no idea (grinning emoji)
May 16, 2025 at 4:34 AM
msdwrites.bsky.social
My phone just reminded me of baby Pickle cosplaying a demon two years ago, before I was able to catch her and her sister and mum from their hideout under the nursery school!
A little tortoiseshell kitten with a white belly sitting on an uplight that is warming her and also making her look like a hellkitten.
April 28, 2025 at 6:27 AM
msdwrites.bsky.social
My phone just reminded me of baby Pickle cosplaying a demon two years ago, before I was able to catch her and her sister and mum from their hideout under the nursery school!
A little tortoiseshell kitten with a white belly sitting on an uplight that is warming her and also making her look like a hellkitten.
April 28, 2025 at 5:41 AM
msdwrites.bsky.social
Not satisfied with being so often wrong, AI is now writing little horror stories.
AI overview on a google search for ligers. It reads ‘Ligers, the offspring of a male lion and a female tiger, are known for their large size, often exceeding that of both parent species, and can weigh up to 1,600 lbs and stand nearly 12 feet tall.’ They absolutely do not stand nearly 12 feet tall.
April 3, 2025 at 4:06 PM
msdwrites.bsky.social
It’s official autumn weather
Big tabby cat curled up asleep snuggled into a red-checked wool blanket on a bed with white bedding.
March 31, 2025 at 10:45 AM
msdwrites.bsky.social
I’ve been wondering why my front birdbath has so few bird visitors… And yes, that is my porch cat.
Photo of plants including agave and white ivy-leafed pelargonium, with a big tabby cat at the back drinking from a cream ceramic birdbath.
March 28, 2025 at 11:32 AM
msdwrites.bsky.social
Apparently it’s heron week along the Cooks River. This one wandered straight past me on the path at Steel Park tonight.
March 25, 2025 at 9:48 AM
msdwrites.bsky.social
Pickle cat: pure of heart, empty of brain.
A little tortoiseshell cat on a bed, staring blankly into the distance
March 22, 2025 at 8:57 AM
msdwrites.bsky.social
Have a heron who was catching flies on the golf course bin last night
White faced heron with long grey and pink beak and bluey grey feathers over most of its body plus yellow legs. A tree behind it. The same heron, a wider shot showing it perched on the side of a full bin. The heron darting forward, neck extended, to catch a fly The heron posing majestically on the side of the bin top
March 21, 2025 at 9:03 AM
msdwrites.bsky.social
Heron catching flies above the golf course bin. The shapes of this bird are just hysterical
Grey heron with white face and yellow legs standing on the side of a bin, which is full of dog poo bags and has flies buzzing above it, the bird is lunging forward with its neck extended to catch a fly
March 21, 2025 at 4:40 AM
msdwrites.bsky.social
Magical moment on the golf course: this heron was catching flies above the bin!
Grey heron with white face standing on the edge of a bin
March 20, 2025 at 6:48 AM
msdwrites.bsky.social
Wiring up earrings: the job that takes 20 minutes of actual action and two days of procrastination. Etsy photos later, or I might just run another carport sale…
Green cutting board with six sets of green porcelain earrings and a set of wire fittings. Two small flower shaped sets with one in each saying No and the other saying Way. The other four sets are large flower shapes, each set with one word each: two of Hell Yeah and two of Fuck That.
March 19, 2025 at 4:04 AM
msdwrites.bsky.social
Waiting for the weather to cool down enough to glue the button shanks onto these babies, but I’m in Sydney and we have an autumn heatwave
Three porcelain rounds with little fairy wrens, two blue and one brown, painted with green backgrounds. Also a black plastic button that they were made to replace
March 15, 2025 at 4:07 PM
msdwrites.bsky.social
One day I will work out how to keep the most detailed brush strokes happy through the glaze firing, but these came out pretty damn good! And also almost exactly the same size as the buttons they’re replacing (well within tolerance)
Set of three porcelain rounds, each with a small bird hand painted on them, and one black plastic button. The rounds all have grass green backgrounds and are all fairy wrens. From back left they are a multi-blue and black male splendid fairy wren, a many shades of brown with orange beak and eye patch female (v similar for both) and a black and blue with some brown bits young male Superb fairy wren. The black plastic button is about the same size but otherwise completely unremarkable. Cutting board under all of them. Shiny glaze over the top of each porcelain round. The same three rounds from the first photo without glaze, pre firing. The brushwork of the painting is more detailed, which is particularly notable on the splendid wren.
March 14, 2025 at 6:32 AM
msdwrites.bsky.social
Finished the fairy wren button set! Not quite perfect but I never am… all in underglazes on lumina midfired porcelain, will get a clear glaze coating then button fittings glued on and any exposed edges varnished. Phew!
Set of three porcelain buttons, all with a soft green background. From top, a splendid fairy wren male, a Jenny wren (who looks similar for both species) and a superb fairy wren. On a green cutting board. Little round porcelain button leaning against pens and brushes, it has a light green background and on it a male superb fairy wren, which is a mostly blue and black little bird with a stubborn expression Little round porcelain button leaning against pens and brushes, it has a light green background and on it a female superb fairy wren, also known as a Jenny wren. She is buff and brown over most of her body with orange around her eyes and beak Little round porcelain button leaning against pens and brushes, it has a light green background and on it a male splendid fairy wren, which is a blue and black little bird with a curious expression
March 7, 2025 at 11:58 AM
msdwrites.bsky.social
This is Pew before the election, but educational attainment is not where the polarisation is strongest at all (source www.pewresearch.org/politics/202...).
Graph from https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2024/08/14/the-presidential-matchup-harris-trump-kennedy/ showing that age and especially race are far stronger determinants in voting choice than educational attainment.
March 3, 2025 at 10:17 AM
msdwrites.bsky.social
Wren button time! Forgot to take a photo of all three as sketches, but did snap the underpainting with underglazes and the final painting of the Splendid Fairy Wren, next up the Superb and a Jenny wren (who looks similar for both!) All on Lumina midfire porcelain, so the colours should fire true.
Porcelain ceramic disc with a wren sketched on in pencil and two shades of blue added in little strokes Same disc as in first shot, now with two more shades of blue and black defining the bird and a grass green background Two porcelain discs with superb fairy wrens sketched in pencil, one female and one male.
March 1, 2025 at 5:39 AM
msdwrites.bsky.social
Black history month tribute from theharperwatters on TikTok. Absolutely beautiful and a wonderful reminder of so many powerful and graceful dancers (parts 2&3 on his acct)
February 28, 2025 at 1:35 AM
msdwrites.bsky.social
This one would accept a gentle smooch after a day or two, Pickle will not be home to new visitors fur at least a month
Little black and white cat on a bed. She is on her side with three of her paws holding a red fluffy ball to her mouth. She has kitty mad eyes and excellent long, white whiskers
February 26, 2025 at 2:42 PM